Waste probe launched into EU presidency spending: report

An investigation into Czech government spending linked to its six month
presidency of the European Union at the start of 2009 has been launched by
Finance Ministry inspectors according to the business daily Hospodářske
noviny. The inspectors will check for waste from the more than 1.0 billion
crown bill for the six month Czech stint at the head of the EU. The period
under scrutiny runs from 2007 until 2009, when current government minister
Alexandr Vondra was in the cabinet as European Affairs minister. Finance
Minister Miroslav Kalousek has denied the probe is connected to a highly
publicised rift between himself and Mr. Vondra, who now heads the Ministry
of Defence.